One of the most
significant wine events in the state has just made a strategic move: it’s
coming to the South Coast.

The World of Pinot Noir
– or WOPN for short – has been drawing an impressive roster of wine experts,
and a growing number of consumers, for the last 13 years.But drawing them to Shell Beach, a lovely
coastal stretch in San Luis Obispo County.And while the region is well known for producing world class wines,
including pinot noir, “it was time for a change,” says winemaker Norm Yost.

Yost is this year’s
elected President of the WOPN Board, and a remarkable pinot producer in his own
right.His Flying Goat Cellars label,
based in Lompoc, produces some 2500 cases of sell-out pinot noir a year; pinot from
the Santa Maria Valley and the Sta. Rita Hills also feature prominently in some
of his sparkling wines, like the Goat Bubbles Rosé and the Goat Bubbles Blanc
de Noir.

The thirsty crowd at WOPN

Like hundreds of people
from Santa Barbara County, and from counties to the south, Yost has always made
the yearly pinot pilgrimage to Shell Beach eagerly.But 2014 required WOPN, which represents
producers in both SLO and Santa Barbara Counties, to be “new and different,”
Yost told me this week.“There are
multiple events we need to compete with now, which means we needed to shake
things up a bit.Plus, our demographic
is further south, so being closer to L.A., and being closer to a bigger
airport, made sense.And hey: it’s the
10-year anniversary of Sideways, so
we thought, ‘Let’s take it to Santa Barbara!’”

WOPN descends on the
deluxe Bacara Resort & Spa in just over two weeks – February 28th
and March 1st – with the intent to highlight pinot noir’s personality and
potential through seminars, tastings and exclusive dinners. The Bacara pick was strategic and smart; it
is, easily, one of the most desirable event venues in the county, with its
ample space, modern amenities and sweeping ocean views (something that’s
already become synonymous with the WOPN wine tasting experience).It also allows a critical customer base from
markets like Santa Barbara and Los Angeles to make the logistical decision to
attend much more easily.

To be sure, the Bacara
move paid off quickly.“For the first
time, we offered a few VIP packages early on – with full access, like the
Platinum Pass at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival -- and they went
over huge, sold out right away,” says Yost.

Legendary pinot noir maker Richard Sanford at WOPN

Many of the weekend’s
high-profile events are already sold out, too, like a seminar dubbed “Parallels
of the 47th Parallel,” comparing pinots from two regions that share
a latitude – Oregon and Burgundy – but that are made a world apart.Tickets to a pair of VIP dinners inside
Bacara’s Miro Restaurant wine cellar – one pouring stars from Burgundy and one
showcasing Santa Barbara County’s cultish Sea Smoke Cellars – are also gone.

But a handful of
experiences still have openings, including the Grand Tastings on Friday and
Saturday, which are a must for any WOPN newbie.These sprawling affairs will feature more than 100 pinot producers from
around the world, and a totally different lineup of pourers each day.This is an unprecedented chance to taste some
of the very best pinots in the world – celebrated renditions from our own
backyard, of course – wineries like Presqu’ile, Sawyer-Lindquist, Bien Nacido,
Au Bon Climat, Hitching Post, Paul Lato, Foxen – as well as from regions like
British Columbia, New York’s Finger Lakes, New Zealand, Spain and Chile.Both afternoon tastings will take over
Bacara’s Grand Ballroom and sea-view terraces, and tickets are $110; an extra
$15 gets you early admission, which does allow for better one-on-one with the
winemakers.

There are also a few
seats left for the “Hollywood & the Vine” Seminar, a four-hour experience
slated for 10am Saturday that will explore pinot’s starring role on the silver
screen.High-profile industry hits like
Oscar-winning Sideways and the recent
SOMM documentary will be discussed by
panelists led by Sunset Magazine wine editor Sara Schneider.A multi-course luncheon by Chef (and renowned
pinot noir maker) Frank Ostini from Buellton’s Hitching Post II-- a veritable set for many memorable Sideways scenes – will follow.Ticket are $130.

(By the way: guests of
either Grand Tasting will have free access to Bacara’s high-tech, 211-seat
Screening Room, which will be playing Sideways and SOMM back to back throughout
the weekend – a chance to step back from the crowd for all or just a few
minutes of each film.)

The seminars usually sell out at WOPN

For an expert take on
the marriage between pinot noir and food, the Gala Dinner on Saturday night
will kick off with a bounty of pinot-driven sparkling wine producers and then
feature myriad gourmet food stations paired with classic pinot noir from around
the world.Guests will mingle with local
chefs and winemakers from producers like Babcock Winery, Miner Wines,
Saintsbury, Hahn Estate and New Zealand Winegrowers.This feast starts at 7pm and tickets are
$165.

Of course, WOPN’s new
venue this year will allow a lot of us – for the first time – to make the
decision to attend just one, or a couple, or all of the featured events.And transportation to and from Bacara has
gotten extra attention this year, too, with a handful of Goleta hotels offering
shuttle service and the new app-based car pickup service, Uber, offering a $25
discount on your first ride (you’ll need to register with the promo code
“pinot” at uber.

For more information, a
full lineup of participants and tickets, log on to WOPN.

The numbers just came in and the Santa Barbara Vintners
Foundation has done it: they’ve met their ambitious $1 million fundraising goal -- and set a brand new event record -- at the 2014 Santa Barbara Wine Auction.

The Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Santa Barbara County Vintners Association,
hosted the extravaganza on February 22nd at Bacara Resort & Spa, which offered a spectacular
backdrop for a night attended by the industry’s who’s who and marked by
once-in-a-lifetime lifestyle packages that generated thrilling bidder
battles.

The biennial auction started
in 2000 and has now raised well more than $3 million for Goleta-based Direct
Relief, which famously leverages its partner network to turn every donated dollar into $30 of medicines and
medical supplies. Outreach is global, earmarked for needy families from Santa Barbara County and each of the
50 states to disaster-ravaged communities around the world. Learn more at at www.directrelief.org.

The
bar’s been raised as high as the stakes: a record-setting $1 million.

Organizers
of the upcoming Santa Barbara Wine Auction say a sell-out crowd should help
them reach an ambitious goal at what’s become one of the country’s premier
culinary fundraisers. “It’s definitely
one of the most prestigious parties in town,” admits Frank Ostini, President of
the Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation, the fete’s organizer and the
philanthropic arm of the Santa Barbara County Vintners Association. “There’s a strong urge to hang out with the
vintners, but it’s also about Direct Relief.”

Set
for Saturday, February 22nd, from 5pm at Bacara Resort, this now
eight biennial event has benefitted the Goleta-based charity since day
one. In fact, when the Foundation hosted
the premier auction in 2000, the $125,000 raised that year allowed the nonprofit
to meet a six-figure fiscal shortfall, and to remain solvent. Direct Relief’s portfolio of giving is
legendary within the charities industry, notably leveraging relationships with
pharmaceutical and shipping companies to translate every donated dollar to
approximately $30 in medicines and services that are distributed locally,
domestically and around the world.

“Do
the math,” says Mr. Ostini. “We’ve
raised $2 million with our auctions so far and are hoping to raise another
million this year. That’s $90 million
worth of goods and services distributed all over the world. It just makes us feel good.”

Famously,
the Santa Barbara Wine Auction has done that – it has met and even surpassed monetary
goals every time – by focusing on the wow factor. The dial is cranked up to spectacular. And the energy among the bidders is fierce,
thanks to auction lots that are, really, once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

Among
the star attractions on this year’s live auction roster:

The Sideways 10-Year Reunion: On the 10th
anniversary of the Oscar-winning film that helped put Santa Barbara pinot noir
on the map, Chef Frank Ostini is hosting a multi-course dinner at his famous
Hitching Post II restaurant in Buellton, which was featured prominently in the
movie. Wines featured in the film (and
mostly unavailable now), like the 2001 Hitching Post pinot noir, will be
poured. Key players from the movie will
be there to share moviemaking memories, including director Alexander Payne and
actress Virginia Madsen. And guests take
home a limited-edition commemorative Sideways Reunion wine, a joint effort by
Mr. Ostini and Au Bon Climat winemaker Jim Clendenen. Tables of 10 to this dinner will go to the
five highest bidders.

A Blending Weekend with Beckmen and Qupe:
These two Santa Barbara wine powerhouses farm their wine grapes biodynamically
and are offering this unique lot as a weekend to remember for four. Two nights at the Beckmen Vineyard Estate
Cottage in the Santa Ynez Valley includes meals at Bell Street Farms, the
gourmet Qupe/Au Bon Climat winery kitchen and the Hitching Post II. But the clincher here is the opportunity to
blend your own barrel of wine – 264 bottles.
And mastering the blend makes the winner an instant star, since the wine
will then be featured at the 2016 Santa Barbara Wine Auction.

VIP Catalina Island Getaway: Ballard Canyon’s
Rusack wine label has stirred up quite the buzz with its ambitious winemaking
project on Santa Catalina Island. This
lot whisks four people to Long Beach to board a private helicopter for the
famous island 26 miles across the sea.
Two nights’ deluxe accommodations come with most meals, a zip line
experience and a private Hummer tour of the exclusive Rusack Santa Catalina
Vineyards. The parting gift is a case of
the chardonnay, pinot noir and zinfandel made under this coveted label.

Luxury Mexican Escape: The award-winning
Esperanza Resort is, easily, one of the most desirable properties in Cabo San
Lucas. This auction item locks in a
week-long getaway here for eight, with accommodations in a magnificent
four-bedroom, 5000-square-foot Ocean View Villa, complete with full-time butler
service and access to the resort’s private beach, infinity pool and daily yoga
classes.

And
the awe-inspiring list goes on, with options to win Skybox seats to an April
bout between the Lakers and the Clippers at Staples Center, a week-long
culinary extravaganza in Nantucket and VIP seats to the Project Runway Season
13 Finale, live at New York’s Lincoln Center (an experience that includes
airfare, hotel stays, makeup and hairstyling sessions before the event and a
meet-and-greet with show star Heidi Klum).

Bidders
need not be present to wine, actually.
Absentee bidding forms can be downloaded from the event’s web site -- www.sbwineauction.com -- and are due February 19th.

Dozens
of silent auction items – also one-of-a-kind wine- and lifestyle-driven
experiences – will also be up for grabs.

And
the brio continues on the floor, with Chris Harrison, host of TV’s popular The
Bachelor, taking on emcee duties (local vintner Andrew Firestone, one of the
original bachelors on the show, will also be there) and star chefs Vinny Totolo
and Jon Shook, the celebrated duo behind hot L.A. eats like Animal and Son of a Gun, matching Santa Barbara’s best wines throughout the
night.

The
event’s move to Bacara Resort this year allows for a bigger capacity crowd –
close to 600 people; the 2012 Auction took place at Four Seasons The Biltmore
Resort’s Coral Casino and was emceed by actor and Montecito resident Billy
Baldwin.

“This
is the biggest event that we put on, and we’re thrilled with the auction items
this year,” says Hannah Rael, media relations associate at Direct Relief. The group was established locally in 1948 and
has done outreach in the form of medical supplies and services to need people
in 70 countries. Its biggest
international project currently is a response to Typhoon Haiyan, which struck
The Philippines in early November and left more than 6200 people dead and
millions homeless. Three months in,
Direct Relief has made 20 deliveries – 120 tons of medicines worth more than
$10 million.

Its
domestic efforts have grown dramatically, too, especially recently. So much so, that the organization tinkered
with its name last year – Direct Relief International became Direct Relief – to
better mirror its locally-driven efforts.
The group is currently the only nonprofit in the United States licensed
to distribute pharmaceuticals in all 50 states.
And when Ms. Rael spoke with me last Friday, volunteer teams
inside the S. La Patera Lane warehouse were shipping out dental kits for
families in need throughout Santa Barbara County.

Proceeds
from this year’s auction are specifically earmarked for maternal and child
health projects around the world, “to pay for safe births, emergency obstetric
care and midwives,” says Ms. Rael. “It costs
$25 to help ensure a safe birth [in third world countries], so raising a
million dollars will equal quite a few healthy moms and babies.”

And “that’s
why our work with this auction is so important,” adds Mr. Ostini. “Leveraging relationships with their
partners, and in the intelligent way that Direct Relief does it – they’ve done
so well with the money we raise.”

A group committed to
promoting the wines and vineyards of the Santa Maria Valley has fallen from the
vine, announcing this week that it will dissolve.

Chardonnay at Byron Vineyard (credit: Gabe Saglie)

The Santa Maria Valley
Wine Country Association was founded 10 years ago to supplement the attention
the region was getting from the local wine industry’s overarching body – the
Santa Barbara County Vintners Association, or SBCVA.The group collected dues from Santa
Maria-based growers and winemakers to produce Santa Maria-focused tastings and
events.Its biggest claim to fame was
the annual Chardonnay Symposium, launched in 2010, which drew hundreds of
consumers to a comprehensive three-day affair celebrating Santa Maria’s white
wine darling.

But new leadership at
the SBCVA led the Santa Maria group to rethink its strategy.

“The decision was made
almost entirely because of the new leadership,” says Matt Murphy, whose family
owns Presqu’ile Winery in Santa Maria and who was elected president of the
Santa Maria Valley Wine Country Association last year.He’s referencing Morgen McLaughlin, who left
New York’s Finger Lakes region to assume the executive director’s role at the
SBCVA last April.

“There’s excitement from
us on the board, seeing what Morgen has been able to do in a short amount of
time,” says Mr. Murphy, who’s especially excited about the “new and unique
spin” that Ms. Laughlin has put on the annual spring and fall tasting events
produced by the SBCVA.

“We see that now there’s
potential for Santa Maria Valley to be even-handedly represented among all of
Santa Barbara’s AVAs,” he adds.

Cambria Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley (credit: Gabe Saglie)

Santa Maria is, in fact,
one of five AVAs, or federally-designated American Viticulture Areas, within
Santa Barbara County.Established in
1981, it’s also its oldest, building a reputation over the decades for
pinot noir and chardonnay, mainly, and becoming home to such high-profile labels as Au Bon Climat, Qupe, Foxen, Cambria, Byron, Bien Nacido and Riverbench.

While the SBCVA is
tasked with promoting the wine region as a whole, each individual AVA –
including Sta. Rita Hills, the Santa Ynez Valley, Happy Canyon and Ballard
Canyon – has found it necessary to form its own marketing organization to
bolster visibility.These sub-groups
collect dues above and beyond what members may also be paying into the
SBCVA.The dissolution of the Santa
Maria Valley body stems from the board’s new perception that “we can now go
further as a unified association rather than as a splintered group with limited
funding,” according to Mr. Murphy, who joined the SBCVA Board of Directors just
two months ago.

Many of the former
members of the Santa Maria Valley Wine Country Association are banding under a new
moniker: the Santa Maria Valley Wine Think Tank.This dues-free and all-volunteer group of
winemakers and farmers will aim to conceive new ways to promote tourism to the
Santa Maria Valley and to bolster its image.

Cambria Chardonnay prepped for shipping (credit: Gabe Saglie)

In a Tuesday press
release, Ms. McLaughlin said, “The Santa Maria Valley is a jewel in the crown of the
Santa Barbara County wine region.As the
SBCVA continues to work towards its strategic mission of raising the visibility
of Santa Barbara County and its five AVAs, the ideas and input from this new
think tank will be vital in assisting our efforts.”

The Chardonnay Symposium
will continue, although it will now be produced and promoted by the Dolphin Bay
Resort in Shell Beach, in San Luis Obispo County.“It’s becoming a hallmark event,” admits Mr.
Murphy.“But putting it on was starting
to control what our Board was doing year-round, and it was in our best interest
to pass it on.”The fifth annual
Symposium is scheduled for the weekend of May 16th.

About Me

Welcome to the online home of Gabe Saglie. Gabe is Senior Editor for Travelzoo and a respected travel contributor for dozens of TV news programs and national shows. Gabe is also a longtime wine and food writer based in Santa Barbara, California, where he lives with his wife, two boys and daughter.